Camp Pendleton Big Economic Help to Surrounding Communities, Official Says

Camp Pendleton is unique among military bases in that is nestled among the second, third and fourth most-populated counties in California.

"Because of that, we have Marines and their families and civilian [base employees] who live in that three-county area... so we have a community relations program with these communities," said retired Marine Lt. Col. Larry Rannals, a community relations officer for the Marines.

He spoke to members of the San Clemente Kiwanis Club on Wednesday to give some statistics about the base and talk about such ongoing projects as the new Naval hospital.

Here are some of the facts he shared:

• Some 41,000 Marines and 4,000 Sailors are stationed at Camp Pendleton.
• Base population includes 3,500 civilian employees, 3,000 civilian workers not associated with the military and more than 10,000 daily visitors and workers.
• About 45,000 people live on base.
• Two thirds of the active-duty military stationed at Pendleton live in surrounding communities like San Clemente.
• The daytime population of the base can reach 80,000.
• The base itself is 200 square miles, or 125,000 acres.
• Only six percent of the base is developed.
• The Marine Corps leases 4 percent of the base to non-military tenants, including the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, California State Parks, San Diego Gas and Electric, the California Department of Transportation and more than a dozen other public agencies and utilities.
• Some 3,500 elementary students go to five on-base schools.
• Camp Pendleton has a $6.1-billion positive economic impact on the surrounding communities.
• Right around the time the economy took a downturn, Pendleton was kicking into gear a massive, unprecedented construction program, culminating in the spending of $1.349 billion on capital projects in 2010.
• The building program has created 10,000 construction jobs on base.
• The new Naval hospital at the south end of Camp Pendleton, set for a 2014 opening, represents an investment of $451 million.